God's Word for Today

Monday, January 31, 2011

Happy Monday…

I need to be working on my Disciple, my mind is a bit unfocused, random thoughts keep going through my head.

In the span of a few minutes on the news this morning I heard a report about a woman in Florida who shot and killed both her children because they were mouthy and rude to her and then they ease into a report on the upcoming academy awards, doesn't this sound a bit incongruent to you?

The unrest in Egypt, things seems so very bad in the world all the time and I just have to wonder what in the world in happening.

Then there are moments during Sunday worship when you feel so filled up with how great God really is and all the harshness of the secular environment we live in is pushed aside for a few moments.

So how do you balance your own personal life against the world view.

How do you balance defining your area of service against trying to maintain a household and live with in your means?

How do you sleep though the night without waking ever few minute drenched in sweat?

How do you maintain a sane thought in your head with an aging body in the throws of a massive hormonal oil spill, don’t ya wish they could deploy one of the robots to plug up the leak or maybe a chemical agent to absorb all the rouge hormones.

My head is just to full of stuff this morning.

My list of to-do’s is a bit overwhelming.

My desire is to crawl back in to bed but I know that the Disciple has to get done, the dinner has to be thawed, the bills have to be paid, the house has to get cleaned, the laundry needs to be sorted, groceries need to be purchased, there needs to be some time to exercise thrown in there, I need to call and straighten out a issue with the school, I need to schedule about tree doctors appointment, the computer is not working properly, the DD has to go to choir, to small group, to wherever else she needs to go, oh and did I mention that she now has her learners license…the thought of my female beloved behind the wheel of a car is something I can’t seem to wrap my brain about this morning.

Dose this all sound like whining.

Sounds like whining to me but it also is a slice of life in the “Be Still and Know” world!

We are having a Sunday school dinner social at my house on Friday, so that means I need to get my house company clean by Friday and come up with fablious desert, any suggestions.

Oh and it’s cold, raining and dreary outside!

Y’all just ignore me!

Happy Monday.

R

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Project 365 ~ Week 5

Project 365 button designed by http://richgift.blogspot.com

 

Sunday, January 23

I have a confession to make, it’s not an earth shattering one, it’s more like whining really, but one of the things I really don’t like about my house is the view from the back patio. It isn’t very picturesque. In a few years when the backyard landscape begins to fill out and some of the trees get a bit bigger I am hopeful the view will improve. Until then I get to look at the rooftops of houses and the weed covered hill just down the street. However there are mornings when I do get to have moments like this.

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I’m usually the first one up on Sunday mornings and as I was enjoying my coffee the backyard began to turn this wonderful color of pink. I grabbed the camera and stepped outside.

Only God could mix up a color like this first thing in the morning!

No pictures on Monday, January 24

Tuesday, January 25

After a full morning of preparation for my Disciple Bible Study on Wednesday I was ready for a break. It was a bit chilly so I fixed myself a Chai Latte and settled into the recliner with my blanket over my feet to relax for a bit before it was time to fix supper.

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I pulled my latest crochet project into my lap and began working away when my sweet little furry child decided that he needed a bit of human companionship in an up close and personal. He hopped up in my lap and did a few turns until he found just the right spot and then settled in to enjoy a few minutes of food network.

A Chai Latte, Crochet, Food Network and a warm cuddly doggie on my lap, that is the recipe for a warm toasty few minutes on a cold winter afternoon.

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Wednesday, January 26

After Disciple I popped over to Sam’s Club and picked up this exercise DVD for my Wii.

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The jury is still out on its’ effectiveness. I have used it for two days and so far it is an OK program. I will say it is a bit disconcerting to be able to see yourself on the television screen. I am not sure whether this is a help or a hindrance. The idea is that the little camera is supposed to help correct you if your posture is wrong or you are not doing the exercise correctly. However there are moments when it is just down right discouraging to watch myself on the television as I fumble through an exercise. Not to mention the floor exercises and the subsequent stretching after the work out. Even I don't want to see what I look like laid out in the living room floor trying to touch my toes. It’s not pretty y’all. But hey what did I expect for $20.00??

Thursday, January 27

These lovely green slippers were waiting for me under the tree on Christmas morning. However they were a bit off in the size. I boxed them back up and they were on their way back to L.L. Bean the week after Christmas. The very nice customer service representative regretfully informed me that all the slippers were on back order and they would not be able to ship my replacement slippers until sometime in February or March. Yuck….but hey what are ya gonna do.

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Surprise, surprise, surprise…I looked out the door today and there tucked behind one of my flower boxes in the front entryway was the familiar brown cardboard box from L.L. Bean. My new slippers had arrived early! They went from being way to tight to fitting just a bit loosely, but they did not come in half sizes. I love the color and they are super comfy.

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Friday, January 28

More reasons they call it…”A Dog’s Life”. Buster’s favorite place is always lounging in the sun wherever he can find it!

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On Friday evening we decided to go out to dinner.

Two unfortunate things happened. The first was the statement made by the waitress at the local Chinese restaurant. “I’m sorry ma’m we no longer serve sushi!”

After I recovered from my disappointment, I really wanted sushi y’all! The second unfortunate thing happen.

The DD and hubs were discussing a small ice cream/candy shop in the same plaza. This establishment has been in this same location since we moved into the house 6 years ago. The Hubs has taken he DD there on a few occasions for an after orchestra concert treat. I am not sure if this was divine intervention or just happenstance, but for some bizarre reason I have never been to this particular sweet shop. We were discussing very random things over dinner and the Hubs chimes in to ask if “Scoops” the ice cream/candy store is still open. I assure him that it is and I mentioned that I had never been there.

“Oh yea it’s a great place, they have all kinds of different candy inside, they even have Jelly Belly Jelly Beans!”

My fork stopped in mid air on it’s way to my mouth.

“The have Jelly Belly’s! Real Jelly Belly Jelly Beans!”

The realization dawned on me as I began to contemplate the long rang ramification of this new revelation.

This means that I don’t have to go all the way to the Mall of Georgia to get them, which I have never done because I refuse to go to the Mall so I have been living a life of deprivation since I retuned from San Francisco without licorice jelly beans.

We paid the check after dinner and the trauma of not getting my sushi was long forgotten as I approached the doors of the candy shop. I could see the wonderful display of brightly colored jelly beans lined up against the wall even before I entered the store. I made a B line for the dispenser and before the hubs and DD could make it once around the shop I had my sweet treasures in hand.

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Y’all I’m gonna miss my sushi but I struck licorice instead, which truly is unfortunate because now I won’t be able to stop eating them AND I now know exactly where to go to get more!

Saturday, January 29

After much head scratching we finally figured out a way to suitably frame my first painting. The concept of square corners was something that was not high on my list of priorities back in my younger days. The construction of the canvas was not one of my better attempts. It was just slightly off square which made framing it up a bit of a challenge. Never let it be said that the hubs can’t meet and solve a problem head on. We finished building the frame a few weeks ago and today it was nice enough outside to put the finishing stain on it and get the painting mounted in the frame.

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We even got it hung on the wall.

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Well that’s it for this week.

Yall have a great week and I’ll pop over to see your pictures later this evening or tomorrow!

 

Blessings

R

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Wednesday Hodgepodge

I have never done one of these before, and being the horrific speller that I am I had to make several references to the logo before I was able to achieve the correct spelling of hodgepodge. 

 

1. Will you watch the Super Bowl? If so who will you root for? If you are outside the USA what is the 'big deal sporting event' in your own country?

I may walk through the room while the super bowl is on, does that count? I think they are planning a big youth party for Super Bowl Sunday, but I have no clue who is playing or when it is. I’m blissfully clueless…

2. Is ignorance bliss?

If I can be blissfully clueless then I suppose I can be blissfully ignorant a well. Most times I work under the common assumption that out of sight is out of mind. What does not directly impact my day or my life at the moment remains just that…a non issue. However there are things like world peace, child abuse, incurable diseases, tsunamis and earthquakes that make it a bit difficult to maintain the strict ignorance is bliss rule. I think you should do what you can when you can, take some food to the co-opp, pray for the Haitian earthquake victims, fix a meal for a friend recovering from surgery or send a note to a friend dealing with Cancer. Just because I can’t personally bring about world peace myself doesn't mean that I can’t try to achieve some level of pleasantness with in my own household either.

3. Which of the seven dwarfs are you? (and just in case your Disney is a little bit rusty, here they are-Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy)

This designation depends totally on the state of my hormones. On a good day I’m very “Happy” however on a bad day the descriptor of “Grumpy”…well there are a few choice adjective that fit the bill and grumpy is tame by comparison.

4. When you are riding in the car with another couple how do you organize the seating?

If it’s a couple excursion then it’s usually guys up front and girls in the back so we can talk. However if it’s a family trip then the hubs and me are up front and the rest of the kids are delegated to the back.

5. What is beauty?

Beauty is as beauty does.

I think actions really do speak louder that words. If I see a beautiful person acting badly or behaving in an unhealthy way then their actions really do reflect on my opinion of them. If I am receive into a beautiful home and made to feel uncomfortable then the beauty of my surroundings only feels like widow dressing meant to put on a show. Yea, yea I know I am not supposed to judge a book by it cover or to make snap judgments however being human and all I’m just being as honest as I can.

And speaking from a purely personal point of view give me a simple cup of hot tea on a warm spring morning with the butterflies visiting my flowers and the birds singing, the breeze blowing…I’d call that truly beautiful.

6. If someone asks you to bring an appetizer or a dessert to a party in their home, which would you choose?

Well seeing as I have enough pepper jelly in my pantry to last me until the end of time I would pull out the old Ritz crackers and cream cheese and head out the door.

7. What is your crowd pleasing go-to appetizer?

Hands down it would be a super simple queso dip & tortilla chips. You can’t beat a warm cheesy queso dip and the crispy combination of a tortilla chip in my book. For an even heartier version you could use chili instead of salsa.

One large container of salsa and Velveeta to taste melt in microwave and serve with chips.

or…a giant crock pot full of Swedish meatballs…I always use the frozen meat balls you get at the Wal-Mart and then use any BBQ sauce I like then let them stay warm in the crock pot and folks can help themselves as they like.

8. Hmmm, trying to come up with a random thought…I was all set for some hodgepodgeie-ness and now I have to be random.

Ok we’ve talked abut sports, ignorance, beauty and appetizers. Well I’ve been in the market for a good read. The last set of books I read were Francine Rivers “Mark of the Lion” series, which were wonderful. So I need a good book any suggestions???? And jumping off from that point when you start reading a good book does the world and everything else just stop or are you diligent and schedule your reading time. I’m about 50/50. I will be very diligent in the day and try to get all the stuff I need to get done completed so I can spend a few moment reading at some point in my day. However I have been known to totally forget what time it was and then realize that it is 4:45 and I didn’t have anything planned for dinner.

So what was the last good book you enjoyed?

Are you an avid reader? Do you read more than one book at a time? Me I can not read more that one book at a time. I have to finish one and then start another. I cant keep up with more that one at at time. I get to overwhelmed and then I just give up. Also if you start a book and then find you don't care for it do you finished it or do you move onto another book?

Ok more randomness, I was just listing to the television and one of the characters just made a bet. If they lost the bet they had to dye their hair. If you were going to dye your hair a totally different color what would it be?

I’ve always thought it would be fun to be a redhead!

OK one more…State of the Union…did ya watch it yes or no. No political commentary just a one word answer please!

Ok y’all head over to This Side of the Pond and link up!

Blessings

R

Monday, January 24, 2011

How Hard Could it Be…The Road to Lobster Ravioli

Y’all know me, I’m a huge Food Network junkie. Couple that with a husband who loves all things lobster and you have the makings for another addition of “How Hard Could It Be?”

We were watching Diners, Drive In’s and Dives and Guy Fieri was highlighting a diner in Boston called Rino’s. Click here to watch the clip of the lobster ravioli, but beware it will make your mouth water. It was an awesome place and if we ever get to the Boston area then you can bet the hubs will insist we make a pit stop if possible. As we were watching this authentic Italian chef whip up a delicious batch of home made lobster ravioli that would make your head spin off it looked so good, the hubs turns to me and ask ‘Well hon, ya think you could manage that?”

I began to think….how hard could it be?

Well in an effort to be a good steward I decide that it would be a good idea to have a trial run with some normal ricotta cheese ravioli first to lessen the financial impact should the meal end in total disaster.I also did a bit of lightening up on the recipe as well. The original recipe called for whole milk ricotta and I used part skim milk cheese as well as skim milk and the Smart Start Butter Blend. It was still a bit on the not so good for you as far as fat grams go but sometimes ya just can’t cut out all the fat. Fat does equal flavor, hate that but it is so very true.

I pulled an assortment of pasta dough recipes as well as a few Lobster Ravioli recipes off the internet. I did find a sort of simple recipe here but I did a bit of modifications to the recipe.

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One dough recipe called for only three tablespoons of water and four eggs, however I only used two eggs, the hubs has cholesterol issues. The three tablespoons of water turned into almost a cup before the dough formed a nice firm ball and began to act like pasta dough. I opted for a recipe that was made in the mixer rather than the counter top method of making a well in the flour. Maybe when I get all the kinks out of the recipe I will attempt to make an authentic batch made fully by hand but not today!

Sifting out the lumps, why create problem if you can avoid them.

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The dough needed to rest in the frig for about 30 minutes which gave me time to pull this out of the dark recesses of my kitchen cabinets. I don't think I have used this thing for over 15 or more years, probably longer. It took a few minutes of wiping down but it still worked. It doesn't have any whistles or bells and if does the job just fine.

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I had gone to Sam’s and bought a massive chunk of parmesan, I wacked it in half and stored one half in the freezer and have the other half in the frig. I am wondering why the really good cheese has to be so expensive, maybe the 10 months of aging…

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Anyway I took about 3/4 cup of part skim ricotta, about a half teaspoon of salt, some fresh ground pepper, minced parsley and about 1/4 cup of grated parm and one egg. The DD always want to do the stirring!

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I cut the pasta dough in half and after it was all said and done it was plenty for one meal.

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It really helps if you have an extra set of hands.

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I guess you could do it all by yourself but the DD did come in handy when I was cranking out the rather lengthy pieces of pasta.

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It’s ready for the filling…

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I used my very small ice cream scoop…

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a little egg wash to hold things together…the DD enjoyed pressing the raviol together.

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it was a little labor intensive and really a bit messy….

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I transferred the finished product to a parchment lined cookie sheet and then put them in the frig until it was time for dinner.

Note to self: next time dust the paper with a bit of flour, the ravioli stuck a bit to the parchment paper.

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I bought some half & half at the store and they had this sun dried tomato pesto on sale at the grocery store.

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I minced up two or three cloves of garlic.

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I melted off two tablespoons of Smart Start 50/50 Butter Blend and a drizzle of olive oil. I sautéed the minced garlic, added a generous squeeze of tomato pesto, probably about 1/8 cup, about 1/4 cup of skim milk and then about 1/4 cup or less of half and half and whisked until smooth.

At this point I tasted it and it was good but not as thick as I would have like it to be so I opened up a can of tomato paste and added a big heaping tablespoon. That did the trick. It was thick, creamy and just waiting for the ravioli. It needed a bit of salt and pepper and it was ready!

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The raviol was out of the frig and ready for the boiling salted water.

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When the ravioli floats to the top of the water it is done, probably took about 8 to 10 minutes.

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I drained off the ravioli and tossed it in the sauce.

Note to self: Use a bigger pan next time. I had a hard time tossing the ravioli in the sauce in my small sauté pan.

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It wasn’t a very good job of plating up the ravioli in the serving bowl but it was very good.

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It was just enough for the tree of us to have for dinner and then there was enough left over the the DD to have for lunch the next day after church.

My advice, if you are going to go to this much trouble I would make a double batch and put half of the finished ravioli in the freezer for later.

It was a lot of work for only one meal.

So…how hard could it be?

On a scale of 1 to 10 I’d give it a firm 7 just because of all the steps, ingredients and mess factor.

Was it worth the effort, well it was really good. So now that I have gotten the plain old ravioli under my belt the next step will be lobster ravioli.

Needless to say I have booked marked the video clip and plan to review it several more times before I attempt the final product. Lobster is about as expensive as a good steak if you get it on sale at the H Mart. Getting it out of the shell, well I may leave that task up to the hubs, that will be the true test to see just how badly he wants a plate of Lobster Ravioli!

Blessings

R

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Project 365 ~ Week 4

Well as weeks go this one was about half and half. Because of the MLK holiday that kids did not go back to school until Tuesday. I was very glad to see the buses roll again. The snow finally began to melt and by Thursday it was all gone, by Saturday it was business as usual, that is until the next predicted snow which may be in the forecast for next week. But I am optimistic that we may have weather our worst, let hope so anyway!

So HERE we go!

Sunday, January 16

This is my front yard…

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and this is the yard directly across the street.

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A little bit of sunshine make all the difference in the world!

Monday, January 17

What does it look like when you have been out of school for eight consecutive days?

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This! She was taking full advantage of her last day off with the already schedule MLK holiday, the dog was taking full advantage of the situation as well!

No pictures on Tuesday, January 18 and Wednesday, January 19

With the snow from last week beginning to melt away I was super busy on Tuesday and Wednesday. We had to cancel our weekly Disciple One class last week so it was double duty for all involved. I had to figure out a way to condense two weeks of bible study into one extended session. We managed to cram 5 hours worth of study into three jammed packed hours. As I walked out to the car on Wednesday afternoon my head was swimming and I felt a bit like I had been run over by a semi truck carrying a load of bibles.

Thursday, January 20

I have to brag a bit. The DD is such a good student. She missed being in the top 100 by only 12 points at her school. She has set herself a goal to try and move up in the ranks over this next semester. I very rarely have to tell her to work on her homework, she comes home most afternoons and sets herself up at the counter in the kitchen and works her little fingers to the bone…well not really but she at least does it without having to be asked. For that I am very thankful!

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No pictures on Friday, January 21 

Saturday, January 22

When things finally began to thaw last week Skoots1mom and I went to Goodwill. I could not help myself when I saw this sweet little white porcelain pitcher for only three something dollars. The handle was a bit cracked but after an application of super glue it was fixed right up. I am not tablescape obsessed like Sandra Lee but I do like to set my table for what ever meal we are having. For years it has bothered me to set my 1.99 plastic pitcher on the table to serve my orange juice. Well not any more. This sweet little pitcher now has a home in my kitchen, I love setting it on the table and it even matches my dishes!

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Well if it has to be cold and dreary outside the least we can do is enjoy a small bit of sunshine. I had never tired Clementine's until a few years ago. I will admit that they are a bit pricy but if you can afford them they are with every sweet penny!

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It makes you forget all about the frigid temperatures while you are enjoying the sweet little sections. These were on sale at the Ingles so I picked up a box. I am not sure why they package them in bulk like this but I have never seen them sold by the pound where you could just buy a few. But they are so small and sweet and wonderful well I just scooped up the box and placed it in my cart. I have already had three since I came home from the store. This box was very good!

I just love them!

Well that’s it for me this week.

For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

Blessings

R

Thursday, January 20, 2011

You asked for it so here it is….Beer Braised Short Ribs

When we were snowed in last week there was not much to do but cook and then eat. Thankfully I had a well stocked pantry and was able to place some warm, yummy comfort food on the table. Earlier in the week I posted my Chicken and Dumplings recipe and some of you asked for the Short Ribs so here it is!

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  • 5 pounds beef short ribs
  • olive oil
  • 2 to 3 garlic cloves minced
  • salt an pepper to taste

 

  • 1 to 2 onions cut in wedges

 

For braising liquid:

  • 2 – 14 to 16 oz beef broth or one 32 oz box, but you will only need half of it to start with, reserve the remaining half if necessary later on.
  • 1 – bottle of dark beer, but up you can really use any beer you like. You can also just omit the beer and use all broth if you don’t like beer.
  • 1/4 molasses
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon bottled hot sauce (you can increase this if you like your food spicy!!!)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Polenta, Mashed Potatoes, Hot Buttered Noodles or Buttered Rice

 

Let ribs sit out for a few minutes to come to room temperature.

In a large bowl or cookie sheet lay the ribs out and sprinkle with salt and pepper and minced garlic on all sides.

Massage seasoning into the meat with your fingers then set aside.

Assemble braising liquid in bowl or large measuring cup and stir until well mixed then set aside.

In large skillet pour several tablespoons of olive oil and let pan heat up, when the oil is hot put short ribs in pan and brown off on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. The ribs need to be nice and brown on all sides with a nice crusty brow coating.

Remove ribs from pan and set aside.

Take the braising liquid and deglaze pan that the short ribs were seared off in with the braising liquid. Why waste all they yummy goodness in the bottom of the pan I say!

Give your crock pot a coating of non stick cooking spray and place the cut up onion on the bottom of the crock pot.

Place the browned off short bibs on top of the onions and then pour the brazing liquid over the ribs. If you need to add additional beef broth to completely covered the ribs you need to do it at this time with the remaining beef broth.

Cook on low setting for 8 hours.

When the ribs have finished cooking they will fall off the bone.

Just prior to serving I take a ladle and remove as much of the cooking liquid as possible from the crock pot and transfer it to a fat separator.

The hubs bought me a new fat separator for Christmas just like the one pictured and I just love it. It has a nifty little plunger the prevents the fat from going up the spout so you are able to pour only the liquid with out any of the fat in it at all. LOVE IT!

And there will be a lot of fat floating on the top of the liquid. Short ribs are a very fatty meat.

As you are removing the cooking liquid you will need to fish out the bones and discard them before serving.

You can expect to get at least 1/2 cup or more of fat off the top with a fat separator. I usually transfer this liquid to a sauté pan and let it reduce down by half over a medium heat. If you like you can add some sautéed onion and a bit of flour to thicken this to a nice gravy like consistency.

Leave the remaining short ribs in the crock pot on low until the gravy is done to keep them warm until ready to serve.

I like to serve up the short ribs in a separate serving bowl along side the polenta and gravy and let everyone one assemble there short ribs as they like them. The daughter likes here side by side, I however like to put a generous serving of polenta in the middle of my plate and then the short ribs right on top of the polenta topped off with a nice drizzle of gravy.

Don't bother with utensils just dive in head first and enjoy!

I serve the short ribs with Polenta, my favorite way to serve it, but it is equally good with noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.

Totally yummy and totally worth all the extra calories.

I have also gotten everything assembled in my crock pot the night before and let it rest in the refrigerator and then put the ribs on to cook first thing in the morning.

 

I hope you enjoy this recipe, we have found it to be a big time family favorite!

Blessings

R

Monday, January 17, 2011

The requested recipe…Chicken and Dumplings

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The Chicken base is very simple.

I have consulted with multiple recipes and have formulated a recipe that works well for me.

You will need:

  • 6 skinless boneless chicken thighs (or more or less depending on how much you need for your family)
  • 2 medium onions diced
  • 2 to 3 carrots chopped
  • 3 to 4 ribs of celery chopped
  • garlic, two to three cloves minced
  • shallots 1 or 2 if they are big then you only need one minced
  • veg or olive oil - about two or three tablespoons
  • all purpose flour - two to three heaping tablespoons
  • chicken broth (two 32 ounce boxes or enough to poach your chicken in, in a pinch I have used a combination of broth and water)
  • salt and pepper to taste

If you have homemade chicken stock available then use it however store bought works just as well.

I use boneless skinless chicken thighs or a combination of both thighs and breasts. Whatever is on sale at the store really, y’all know me I am all about a barging.

In a large pot I bring the chicken broth to a boil and then I place the chicken into the stock and let it come back to a gently boil and then I turn the pot off and cover it and let the chicken poach for one hour. The one hour is approximate, if my chicken is big and thick like a big fat chicken breast it will need 45 minutes to a full hour. If you have smaller pieces like a small thighs then you may only need thirty minutes. The key is to not over cook the chicken, you want it to be moist and tender. Remember you will be giving the chicken an additional 10 to 12 minutes of cooking time when you finish it off with the dumplings.

You can add additional seasonings to your stock such as a bay leaf, a few cloves of garlic or even a few whole peppercorns, whatever seasoning you like. Make sure your broth is well seasoned or your chicken will be bland.

After one hour you can pull your chicken out and set aside. When your chicken is cool enough to handle you can either pull apart the chicken into bite size pieces or cut up in small chunks. Which ever is more appealing to you.

Reserve your hot broth for later, do not discard, keep it on the stove on a very low simmer.

While the chicken in cooling chop up two medium size onion, two to three carrots, a few cloves of garlic maybe some shallots if you have them and sauté them in oil, olive or vegetable which ever you prefer.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Make sure you us a large skillet with a tight fitting lid to sauté you veggies in you will need the lid later when cooking the dumplings.

When veggies are tender add a few heaping tablespoon of all purpose flour to the mix and stir. You may need to add additional oil, maybe just a tablespoon or two to achieve the desired consistency of a roux.

Continue to cook for a few minutes to cook out the raw flour taste and to get a slight bit of color in the roux.

Once your veggies in the roux are done you will add several ladles of the warm chicken stock to the veggies and vigorously stir to remove all the lumps.

Continue to add the stock by the ladle full until the base reaches the consistency you like. If you like a thicker consistency you may only want to ad a few ladles of stock, if you like a thinner soup constancy you will need to add several ladles of stock.

I like mine to be the consistency of a creamy soup.

Be sure to taste at this point and re-season if necessary.

When your base is complete keep on a low simmer and move on the the dumplings

Click on dumplings for the recipe!

Mix up the dumplings and set aside. If you have some fresh herbs and want to add a few tablespoons of minced up parsley or other green herb into your dumpling batter for color feel free. I toss in a few table spoons of minced fresh parsley if I have it at hand, I just didn’t have any this last time though.

Add the cut up chicken into the Chicken base and bring to a simmer.

With a small ice cream scoop, if you do not have a small ice cream scoop you can us a large soup spoon, spoon the dumpling mixture into the chicken with about 1 inch of space between each dumpling, they will spread out and puff up a lot as they cook.

Cover and cook on low to medium for about 10 to 12 minutes.

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When the dumplings are done they should be firm to the touch and nearly doubled in size.Their constancy inside should be light and fluffy.

Spoon up one to two dumplings in a large bowl and add a generously ladle of Chicken on top and serve immediately!

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Comfort food personified!

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Blessings

I will work on the Short Ribs and post that one also but not today….

R

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Project 365 ~ Week 3

Well this week was definitely a departure for us down here in the south. the eight-ish inches of snow we experienced sent nearly the entire state into a snow induced coma and we found ourselves snowed in for the entire week. 

Sunday, January 9

It doesn't happen often down south but when it does it totally sends almost everything into a tail spin. The meteorologist got it right this time and the predicted snow began to fall right on schedule Sunday evening.

It started to accumulate about 10:00 PM…

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About 30 minutes later we had about 1/2 an inch…

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By the time I went to bed at about 11:30 PM it was well over an inch…

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Monday, January 10

Schools close for day one and I awoke to this….

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The hubs and the DD spent some time outside with the neighborhood children on the sled, you can click here for more pictures and a post about that.

I had made the necessary pantry stocking on Saturday at the grocery store so I had plenty of food stuffs for the foreseeable future. I had taken a package of short ribs out of the freezer on Sunday morning and put them on to cook in my crock pot Monday morning. This is a big time family favorite, Beer Braised Short Ribs. I don’t fix them often due to the pricy cost of short ribs as well as the fact that it is totally not a figure friendly recipe, which is why it is so wonderful.

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Tuesday, January 11

Schools close for the second day…

I think it’s a rule, when it’s really cold outside and there is snow on the ground large quantities of chili must be consumed.

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Wednesday, January 12

Schools closed for the third day….

The snow is now covered with a nice thick coating of rock solid ice.

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It is so thick in some place that the dog can walk or slip and slide around without breaking though! He found this to be unacceptable and quickly did his business and requested immediate reentry into the non-slippery surface of our warm dry house.

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Chicken and Dumplings for dinner….I mean after all what else did I have to do…

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Not to be too dramatic but at times the kitchen can be a perilous place to work. In the preparation for said Chicken and Dumplings I had a what can only be described as a tragic and painful Chicken and Dumpling’s Blunt Force Trauma. I had a large two quart Rubbermaid container of chicken stock in the freezer, Ina Garten would have been so pleased. I was retrieving said container of “frozen solid” chicken stock from the freezer when it slipped from my hands and landed upon my left foot like a bowling ball, my left foot which was only clad in my nice comfy house shoes. The DD assures me that I did manage to restrain from spouting a few choice words as I gripped the counter in excruciating pain. That evening I made sure to show all concerned parties the lovely black bruise that was covering the whole of my toe.

The things I do for my family…the wounds I suffer to provide them with sustenance, the constant suffering I endured as I worked through the pain standing upon my severely damaged appendage…

Thursday, January 13

School has now been canceled for a fourth consecutive day, the kids may be going to school all summer long if we don't thaw soon!

Never let it be said that I can’t milk a good situation, I now have photographic evidence of my ability to work through the pain.

I will refrain from enlarging the picture to lessen the extreme graphic nature of this tragic accident plus I am in desperate need of a pedicure! And that’s not a shadow along the side of my toe that’s a bruise which spreads from the top of the toe down along the side…y’all it’s a bit painful :(

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This fourth day with no school however did give me the opportunity to witness something that I never thought I would see in my lifetime.

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The DD shoveling snow from our driveway…

Friday, January 14

Lest they break their momentum the schools were closed for a fifth consecutive day…

However by Friday things had begun to thaw just enough for a short and much needed trip out into the land of the living again. It is a terrible picture but I was so thrilled to be outside and actually feeling the sun on my shoulders that I just snapped off the moment. You can see the small person with the in the middle ground that’s skoots1mom patiently waiting for me and the DD to show up for lunch. If you have a Barberitos in your areas you know how good the skinny soft taco is. If ya don't then you'll just have to take my word on it.

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Saturday, January 15

A couple of weeks ago we got all the supplies together to make a frame for my painting. The hubs and I worked on getting it put together this afternoon. It was still a bit nippy outside but the sun was out and the temperatures were not to bad, plus it only took a few minutes to get it all nailed together. Now all I have to do is decide where I want to hang it and what color I want to stain the wood.

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Well as luck would have it school will be off again Monday for the MLK Holiday. I’m kind of ready to get life back to normal and get this snow behind us. I will say that it was a nice departure for a few days, the bundling up, the slowing down, the time to just rest, read and spend time with the hubs and the DD. We had some good table fellowship, watched a few good movies and enjoyed watching the neighborhood children enjoy the snow and laughed at the dog as he experienced the icy slopes of the back yard.

Well that’s it for this week’s 365.

Y’all head over to Sara’s and link up for more 365 fun!

Blessings

R

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